The job's a thrill, the commute perfect

Inspire students, first of all; inspire the teachers who work with him; and be inspired by each other.

That spark began for Aucoin with a wonderful elementary school teacher at Lincoln Street School in Worcester who fostered in his student a love for education.

So passionate was Aucoin about it that he deviated from the family business to pursue education as a career, eventually teaching at the elementary level in Worcester.

He taught in the city for 16 years, the last seven serving as a teaching principal. Aucoin then moved on to Marlborough for another six years, the last two as principal at the Richer Elementary School.

But several years ago, the family moved to Holden and Aucoin acquired another inspiration.

"When we first moved in here, we could see [Davis Hill] from our back yard," he says. "We just kind of daydreamed, what a thrill it would be [to work there]."

That dream came true this spring when Aucoin was offered the job of principal at Davis Hill, replacing the retired Karen Gaskin. It's a prospect that thrills him far beyond the joy of shortening his commute from hours to minutes.

"I personally feel overjoyed and honored to have been asked to be the principal at Davis Hill," he says.

As a parent of a Davis Hill fourth grader, he notes, "We already knew it was a great school and a great staff and a good family culture."

Aucoin has transitioned from parent to principal, meeting with staff collectively and individually.

"They've all said the same thing," he says. "They're a real content, cohesive, happy group of people."

After more than 20 years in education, Aucoin is accustomed to change, and finds himself inclined to look on the bright side of the controversial MCAS testing that looms even for his elementary level students.

"It makes us all look at things in a different way," he says of the MCAS data. "I think a lot of that is rather helpful."

But to have value, the test results have to be used to help teachers teach.

"If you do it right, if you empower your educators, it can be helpful," Aucoin says.

Using the test scores to compare schools to each other, he says, is not helpful.

"Those aren't the important conversations. The important conversation is, 'Did we really do the best for each child in this building?'"

For elementary students who face their first MCAS in third grade, it means getting them ready in kindergarten and first grade to meet the challenge of testing. That includes ensuring their basic reading and math skills are up to par.

In that respect, MCAS is useful for telling them which skills the students are not well prepared for, both as a group and individually, Aucoin says.

Most of all, the test has helped elementary educators learn to prepare children from the moment they appear in school.

"Everyone has to do a better job of kindergarten, first and second grade, and knowing that it really begins in those grades," he says.

Aucoin has always enjoyed being part of elementary education, feeling that, as an educator, that's where he belongs. He appreciates those teachers who can do their jobs at the middle school and high school levels, something he admits would alarm him.

In the Wachusett district, he admires the district's stateof the art physical plants, like the school he once dreamed of working in, just a short commute across the back yard.